Water's Course
by QuickSilver5
Summary: AU. Very unusual, in later chapters. Contains Yaoi. R&R?
1. Default Chapter

Salut! C'est moi!  
  
Dragon Knights aren't mine. Deal with it.  
  
A serious fic!!  
  
Heehee. This is fun. I get to play with peoples minds. Mwa-ha-ha!! XDD  
  
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Water's Course  
  
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Prologue  
  
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Sometimes, history will not recall why an event had happened, only that it did. The reason it had occurred will be lost to memory, and only that something had occurred can be truthfully said, and sometimes not even that.  
  
Yet once a thing has been done, it will be easier for the stream of time to flow down the same path, and become a river. Once it has, it is impossible to stop. Time can only be slowed, and will wear down obstacles in it's path with the patience it has possessed for the span of it's existence.  
  
Rarely, oh so rarely, someone will try to block a path. In doing so, that entity must find all those who walked the path and draw them from the flow of time, lock them where time never changes. Where everything merely exists. And nothing lives  
  
And I want to live . . . . .  
  
I could forget him . . . . .   
  
And his betrayal.  
  
I want to live.  
  
I want to feel the wind racing through my hair as I run through fresh grass and the rain dances down and cleans my soul of the taints I have acquired.   
  
I want to live.  
  
Merely existing is no match for watching choices and lives tear past the river of time without a care in the world.  
  
Existing means you can think and remember and nothing more. It's not very fun.  
  
Living means you can feel and taste and see and touch and move and laugh and sleep and run and forget . . . .   
  
When you exist, you can't sleep. I think I miss that the most. Sleep would let me forget him for a while. Sleep would let me not think. A relief for one who has spent century after century in the same area, without moving or feeling or even knowing what's happening outside.   
  
Outside.  
  
That word seems to be dream to me. An imaginary place I created for my own amusement. Something to think of instead of going insane. Or am I already insane? It's so hard to tell . . . .  
  
Only Miru*-chan is there. He reminds me that there is an outside. Even if we can't talk, we can sense each other. And that's enough for us to know the other exists.  
  
I want to live . . .  
  
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Rath's point of view.  
  
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"Come on, Rath!! Please??" my companion pleaded fervently.  
  
"What's the point? It's just some old church." I respond, bored already. Thatz has been repeatedly bugging me about this church he wants to go treasure hunting in. "You can't go demon hunting in churches. There are no demons!!" I explain my reasoning to Thatz.  
  
"Aww, come on, Rath! Please?" Thatz was now latching on to my legs.  
  
I grabbed his shoulders and lifted him into an upright position, and give him a searing kiss in the process. "I love you, koi, but I'm not gonna endure boredom even for your sake."  
  
"I heard that one of the treasures is guarded by a demon . . . ." Thatz began  
  
"Where's this church again??"  
  
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*It means water(I hope.) Should tell you who our prisoner is.  
  
I'll reveal Thatz and Rath's mission next chapter. Mean-while, you are free to guess. Oh, and they've been lovers for over a week and less than a year. I'm too lazy to think up a specific time.  
  
R&R, peoples!


	2. Attack of the Idiot!

  
Hi!  
  
I dun own it!  
  
Oh, and for this fic, I'm assuming that Dragons go through a type of amnesia, so that they forget their old owner and anyone associated with him or her. This does not include other Dragons and their duty, plus a few miscellaneous facts, such as active Dragon Knights. Note the 'active'. It's important.  
  
Rath: Hey! I'm not miscellaneous!  
  
Yes you are. Now go hunt demons somewhere else.  
  
Rath: 'Kay!! Ja ne!!  
  
Oh, and by the way, I learned that Water's name is 'Kahaku', not 'Miru'. I'm sorry! Also, I will be calling Earth 'Terra'.  
  
Contains shonen ai. Deal.  
  
Have fun!  
  
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Rath's Point of View  
  
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"Are we there yet?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Are we there yet?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Are we there yet?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Are we there yet?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Are we-"  
  
"Stop it!"  
  
"Make me. Are- Mph!!"  
  
"Ha." Thatz was triumphant. He had shut Rath up! "Made ya-"  
  
"Care to try again?" Rath's voice was slightly husky with suppressed lust. He reached up, and slowly kissed Thatz.  
  
"Oh, get a clearing, you two." A young man, more of a teenager really, was standing behind them with a hand on his hip. A frail, useless sword was slung casually over his shoulder, and his rich, extravagant, and above all, _tacky_ clothes suggested that he was the son of one of the local nobles. Rath and Thatz stared at the boy, both with expressions that seemed to convey, _who does he think he is?_ The boy, meanwhile, had turned his pig like nose up at the Dragon Knights, assuming that the dusty and worn clothes indicated that they were peasants. Oh, how little did he know . . .  
  
"Isn't it supposed to be 'get a room'?" Thatz inquired, voice laced with thinly concealed contempt.  
  
"How dare you _peasants_ talk back to me, a demon hunter and treasure hunter of world renown, son of the great Salome* Cochon*, Vache* Cochon? Who are you, that dares to speak to one of noble birth and lineage?"  
  
Rath and Thatz stared at the pompous idiot.  
  
Rath and Thatz stared at each other.  
  
Rath and Thatz grinned. They outranked Vache so badly, they would have him _groveling_ for forgiveness before they were through with him. And it would be thoughrouly enjoyable, to. More than worth enduring his ignorance for a few days. Never mind that Lykouleon had ordered them to find the Dragon Knight of Water. It could wait a few days, as far as they were concerned.  
  
Besides, it wasn't like the Dragon Lord had given them a time limit. And it wasn't like some guy would walk up to them and say-  
  
"Hey! Whatcha doing?" It took Rath and Thatz all of two minutes of blinking to realize that someone had spoken, and she was new to the clearing.  
  
At this point, it dawned on them that an intelligent response was a good idea. "Huh?" Unfortunately, they hadn't found one.  
  
The girl wore a pair of mis-matched boots, shorts, a travel stained jacket, and fingerless gloves. She had a necklace and a pair of earrings made out of what looked like ordinary rocks, but to any-one sensitive to magical energies, they glowed slightly with an unusual energy.  
  
"Beautiful lady, be not afraid of these crude buffoons, for I, the unbeatable Vache Cochon, will protect thee from their crass words and presumptuous actions!"*  
  
All three persons in the clearing with a good grasp on reality stared at him in pure disbelief. None of them could imagine how he had come up with the conclusion that the girl was afraid, much less of the Dragon Knights.  
  
Vache grabbed at the girls hand. "Gentle lady-" WHAM!!  
  
To the relief of everyone else, the idiot had been flattened by a large boulder, compliments to the 'gentle lady'. Rath and Thatz applauded politely.  
  
The girl turned around, getting her first good look at the two other sane people . . . comparatively.  
  
"Thatz?" The girls tone indicated severe disbelief, and a faint hope.  
  
"Kitchel!? Is that really you?" The green haired youth leaned forward eagerly, in high hopes that this was his old friend. Fortunately for his hopes, it was.  
  
Both laughed and hugged and danced around each other. Their joy in seeing each other seemed to be infectious, and Rath soon joined in.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
After calming down (in other words, exhausting themselves), Kitchel asked where they were going.  
  
"We're gonna go to this really old church to-" At this point, Thatz realized that if Kitchel found out about what the church was supposed to contain, she would probably take most of it for herself. "Uhhhhhhh-Honor some of the _architecture_." It was a plausible lie, if you didn't know Thatz. Unfortunately for Thatz, Kitchel did.  
  
Kitchel crafted her words carefully. "Really? You know, I had just picked up a book about religious architecture," It was actually on artifacts, not architecture, "-and I'd like to see if I could recognize anything."   
  
"Of course . . ." Thatz desperately racked his brain for an excuse to chase Kitchel off, being the greedy little bastard that only life of thievery or a seat in a high court could give. Then- inspiration struck! "However, there are demons around . . ."  
  
"I hope they're really nasty. They're funner to beat that way." Inspiration missed.  
  
"Is 'funner' a word?" Inspiration crept off in embarrassment.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*Salome means bitch.  
  
*Cochon means pig. Can you tell I don't like him?  
  
*And vache means cow. Almost gotta feel sorry for the fool . . . NOT!!! Hee-hee-hee!!!  
  
*At this point' he's starting to remind me of Kuno . . . .


	3. Forgotten Forest

  
Hello, my adoring fans!  
  
If Dragon Knights were mine, you would know it. Such is life.  
  
So . . . Umm . . . Yah . . . Can someone tell me what Fire's name is in Japanese? Thnx.  
  
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The trail leading up to the church was dark and brooding, over hanging branches reaching for them with clawed hands, the wind screeching through leafless branches and trying to suck the warmth out of them. Wolves had howled merciless in the distance, seeming to laugh in sadistic pleasure as the companions had fought their way through bramble and thorns eager to taste their blood.  
  
So why, _why_, WHY wasn't the church cooperating with the scenery? Instead of being harsh and abandoned, seething with helpless rage, the church was warm, cozy, and friendly. The sort of place you'ld treat a friend to dinner in.  
  
Thatz and Kitchel were disappointed. The only items worth carrying off were invariably bolted to the floor or walls. Rath was even more disappointed, as the only demon was busy making a house of cheese. Which melted.  
  
Which was why they were now stumbling through the same forest at midnight.  
  
I told you we should have gone left, you idiot!  
  
Why are you complaining? I thought you liked exploring.  
  
Not when I could be eating marinated chicken with lemon-garlick sauce and- WHACK!!!  
  
Stop it, Thatz. You're making me hungry.  
  
Come on, you two. This is perfect! The stars are out, the moon is full, and the demons are as thick- SLASH!! - as flies. What could be better??  
  
Hmm, let me think . . . Maybe, oh, a bed!?  
  
And arguing. You can't forget arguing. It was almost a favorite pastime.  
  
Fortunately for the plot, they were no longer on the beaten down, dusty path. It wasn't even a deer trail. Humans didn't even think it was a path. The path itself had a disturbing habit of twisting and changing as it was trod upon. After all, this was a fairly new experience for the path. It had only been walked on once, and then a compulsion was laid on it to let none cross it's entire length. Unfortunately for it, the three humans were following every twist and turn as soon as it made it.  
  
The path was now desperate. The humans had almost reached it's final destination! It had twisted so much it had crossed itself, and the humans were still there! Then- it had a brilliant plan! It would become straight!  
  
This, of course, was the signal for Rath and Thatz to start running in a perfectly straight line. At this point, the path was ready to just give up and cry about the unfairness of it all. Since it couldn't cry, it settled for just giving up. After all, the humans had reached the exit.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Look . . . Do you think that's the place we were trying to find? Kitchel was staring at an old building. It was so run down that it was impossible to even guess at it's origional purpose; the door was broken in half, the top barely clinging to the frame while the other half was lying discarded on the ground, rotted and decayed. The frame itself was a work of art- unfortunately, time had taken it's toll here, too, and the elaborate design was faded and broken. Other, more sinister, beings had also worked out their frustations on the walls.  
  
The group shuddered. Somehow, the abandoned atmosphere struck a chord in them that the forest had not . . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ummm. Yeah. More action soon, I promise!  
  
Read and Review.


	4. Ice

I finish this story. I go all the way to France for nine days. And I only get one measly review . . .  
  
Why can't I at least own one little manga?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Soft footfalls penetrated the unbroken silence. Rath kept his hand on his sword, whether for comfort or fear of retribution he didn't know.  
  
C-come on in, Rath desperately tried to keep the stutter out of his voice. His next words were as much for himself as they were for his lover and Kitchel There's nothing here . . .  
  
Dead leaves swirled past the entrance.   
  
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_There's nothing here . . ._ The voice echoes around me, the tone warped as if by distance. I cannot recognize the owner, for I don't know the cadence or accent. The language itself seems distorted. But that doesn't matter.  
  
_I can hear._  
  
I can listen to something. I might even be able to get out of this . . . nothingness.  
  
I still want to run . . .  
  
but . . .  
  
What if my body was . . . lost? Destroyed? Gone?  
  
I do not think I could tolerate a different form.  
  
I hear footsteps . . .  
  
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Thatz walked over the stone floor. It was actually a mosaic, but rain and mud had dimmed the brilliant colors, fading everything to a featureless gray. He shivered; he was quite sure there were several valuable jewels in that mosaic, and for some reason he didn't want to steal any of them. Frankly, this terrified him. He wasn't used to a lack of greed- a love of all that shimmered and glimmered and shined was deeply ingrained in his soul, but now there was only a faint sense of dread when he thought about the riches that lay beneath his feet.  
  
He glanced at Kitchel. She had to know there were gems in the floor, but she wasn't even looking down. She was, in fact, studiously avoiding looking down.  
  
He was forcibly jarred from his thoughts when he walked into the motionless Rath.  
  
Huh? Why'd you stop? Thatz rubbed his aching jaw, confused.  
  
Look . . . Ice.  
  
Thatz stared. Apparently, someone had decided to transport a small glacier and frame it with a door. Whoever had decided to do this, and then maintained it, Thatz knew nothing about. The ability to create a frozen doorway was unheard of, and the energy it must have taken was astronomical. Sure, Rath could easily burn down a swamp, but fires fed themselves after a certain point. Ice just sucked energy out of things and gave nothing in return.  
  
Thatz took a deep breath, mustering the remains of his faltering greed. Let's melt it.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sharp fangs glittered in a malicious grin; the demon had waited so long at her station, and now food had come sauntering towards her jaws . . .  
  
She shifted position so that she was hidden behind the stone wall instead of the barrier of ice. She had much to gain, and everything to lose . . .  
  
After all, most meals didn't like being eaten . . .  
  
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Kitchel closed her eyes, listening to the angry hiss of fire and ice. The heat Rath was generating had made the floor a soupy mess of hardened brick and very watery mud. She was currently perched on a rapidly disappearing circle of brick in a futile effort to keep her feet dry. It was also becoming increasingly apparent that a change in location was needed.  
  
She sighed, exasperated. Rath had stubbornly insisted on melting the entire block of frozen water, and now the room was flooding, with no end in sight. Her dark eyes scanned the room, searching for another dry area to stand on.  
  
The area directly behind Rath was cracking and shimmiring from the intense heat it was enduring. To his left and right, ice water gushed out in a steady stream. But between the icy water and fiery land scape, there was an area that was just right.  
  
This meant ten minutes of slogging through the sludge.  
  
But it was drier.  
  
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Ask me, and I just might tell you about France.  
  
In other words, _review_.  
  
And someone tell me how the font change worked.


	5. Project Ice? What's that?

I didn't get a lot of reviews . . . Are people not interested in France?  
  
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Rath smiled. The ice was steadily melting away under the fire he was fueling. There was only 4 and a half inches left, compared to the original 38 inches thick. An estimate of half a minute left seemed reasonable, and that time was being steadily used up. He couldn't wait to see if there were any demons behind the portal. And Thatz was always very erotic after going treasure hunting. It was actually how their relation started.  
  
Meanwhile, he was having fun venting on the ice. The sounds, the smell of sulfur, the release of energy . . . All were associated with battle, and it was a good substitute. And the anticipation of a hard, energetic battle was enough to give him a high akin to the aftermath of sex.  
  
The fire flared up brightly as it splashed against the frozen water.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kharl? Kharl? Kharl?! Damn it, Kharl, where the hell are you? The voice floated gently into a cluttered room. A pile of clothes squirmed and raised an appendage that had to be called, for lack of a better word, a head. A small human barged into the room, radiating vexation.  
  
Kharl! Wake up for once! There's something really wacky going on with your new project!  
  
Whazzat? Proj'ct? The appendage shook off a pare of old shorts and a sock, trying to comprehend what was being said and done.  
  
That mirror project you were so keen on! Remember? The kid was now dragging the older man along a corridor, and clothing was being dropped to the ground behind them. The kid continued, ignoring the fact that he wasn't being understood. The stupid thing's beeping at me, and it keeps writing something I can't understand.  
  
T's n't m'rror . . . S c'mp'ter . . . Kharl was slowly regaining the ability to think. This did not mean that he was regaining the ability to speak.  
  
Whatever. It's still beeping.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
See? It's beeping. He was refering to a large screen with a mirror-like surface. Some words were written on it in blood-red, but the characters used were completely foriegn.  
  
Kharl blinked. The object was originaly his master's, but he had inherited it after he died. He was still trying to figure out what it did, other than mathmatics, and now seemed a perfect opportunity to use it as his master had; to gather information.  
  
He sat down in a nearby chair. He put his hands on a rectangular object with several raised protrusions.  
  
His fingers pressed down on several of the protrusions in seemingly random order. The result was anything but random.  
  
On the screen, beneath the red symbols, the words rewrite--lang_code--english' appeared. The new words slowly faded from the screen as a clicking sound permeated the room.  
  
You put a cicada in a mirror?  
  
No. Now be quiet.  
  
Obediently, Garfacky shut up. Instead of talking, he decided to watch the mirror in vague hopes that somehow, everything would eventually make sense. His vigilance was soon rewarded; the bloody runes were slowly being replaced with a readable language full of letters he recognized.  
  
It read- Warning--intruders in Project Ice.'  
  
What's Project Ice?  
  
I don't know. But there's a location, so you're going to check it out.  
  
Garfacky's eyes were much wider than anyone's eyes have a right to be.  
  
You heard me. You're going to check it out. Meanwhile, I am going to make this thing make sense.  
  
His protest was cut short by his sudden dissappearance from the room and reappearance in next to an old, decrepit building in the middle of a sinister forest.  
  
Kharl turned back towards the screen. O-_kay_. Item One: What is Project Ice? Item Two: How can I use this information to black-mail Nadil's Army? And Item Three: Where _did_ I just send Garfacky?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Three seconds ago, in a forest far, far away--  
  
Wait, sorry, wrong story line.  
  
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Garfacky warily approached the door. Nothing happened. Slowly, gently, and above all carefully, he stepped inside. Nothing happened. Garfacky let out the breath he had been holding and walked confidently to the doorway on the other side of the room. Halfway across, he stepped on an unusually slick piece of mud, and skidded to the portal in a bundle of arms, legs, mud, and screeches.  
  
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Y'know, I think I need a nap before I work on this computer.  
  
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At the bottom of this page, there is a purple button. If you click on this button, you will get a little window on your computer screen that lets you review this chapter. If you have not clicked on the purple button, please, click on the purple button and inform me that you have not clicked on the purple button. Thankyou for reading Quicksilver, your number one contributer to the story Water's Course.'


	6. To sleep, perchance to dream

Hello y'all! And now, onto the next chapter in the story.  
  
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A very muddy Garfacky was lying on the floor of a decrepit building with his hands over his head and muttering. The good reader should note that this is not a happy Garfacky. The very good reader will note that this is a terrified Garfacky.  
  
The very, very good reader will note that this is because there are two enraged Dragon Knights standing over him.  
  
The best reader will note that there is also a rather muddy girl that he knocked over and accidentally groped.  
  
Perhaps the reader can now understand why Garfacky is terrified?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Slitted yellow eyes widened. Yet another tasty morsel had appeared. The appetizer might just become a meal.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*Due to the extreme violence of the following scene, the details have been omitted.*  
  
Aaaggh! Nonononono! Somebody help me!  
  
  
  
  
  
*But you can always listen to Garfacky scream for help.*  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The demon inspected her claws. She shifted her large, cat-like body. She glared heatedly at the door of ice. Didn't her meal know not to keep her waiting?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!?  
  
First I hear footsteps and someone talking. Then I hear a lot of random noise. And now I hear screaming. I'm starting to wonder if coming back to life is such a good idea. I mean, judging by the chaos, it's definitely a good idea to wait. Four hundred years should do it.  
  
Or am I wrong? I know I was considered a dangerous enemy; they might have decided to get some demon to guard me. All this noise could just be my potential rescuers running into some unexpected interference.  
  
Whatever it is, it's stopped. I hope they haven't died.  
  
Why meeeeeee . . . . . .  
  
Apparently not.  
  
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O-kay. Let me get this strait. You are here because your boss sent you to find out what was happening in this area. You and your boss know about this area because you have some sort of object that's like a prophet, only it can only see the present and do math problems. So, is that it? Whole story, nothing more, you're just here to look? Kitchel gazed down critically at a small, shivering ball of mud.  
  
The mud whimpered affirmatively.  
  
So, if you're only here to watch, exactly why did you grab my breasts?  
  
The figure continued whimpering. If one was paying attention, one might hear the words It was an accident . . .' mixed in.  
  
All right then. I've decided. Since it was an accident, you will be my faithful servant for the next year-  
  
The ball leaped three feet into the air.  
  
As opposed to four years. Kitchel finished.  
  
The ball, recently revealed to be a human being, did not want to prolong it's punishment.  
  
You know, I've never had a servant before. This is going to be fun!  
  
Thatz stared at his child-hood friend in shock. He had no idea she could be so vindictive, so . . . so evil. That's . . . very nice. But the door's open now, so let's get going.  
  
Kitchel stared. She hadn't noticed that when she had thrown Garfacky, he had hit and shattered the rest of the ice.  
  
You know, that looks just like a treasure cave. . .  
  
The following miniature stampede made sure that Garfacky wouldn't be able to use that outfit again.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The demon tapped her claws on the stone floor. Surely two ice barriers wouldn't take that long to tear down . . . Right?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
SSCRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEE!   
  
What the hell is this stuff?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
And it wasn't as if the lava pit was _that_ long . . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It's lava, Thatz.  
  
I know that! What the hell is it doing here? Thatz and Kitchel had backed up a few meters to avoid the poisonous fumes.  
  
Rath thought about that.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Unknown to the trio, Garfacky had taken the opportunity to escape, leaving the three friends to argue on their own. Kharl or no Kharl, he was not going anywhere near that girl without at least five first-class demons to back him up.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Plus there was ledge over it, so it wasn't as if they could fall down . . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hey, look! There's a path! Rath pointed to a narrow, crumbling bit of brick that looked as if it was just waiting for half an ounce before it fell. He stepped on it. With a resounding CRACK, the whole structure went tumbling down.  
  
Fortunately for the story line, Rath managed to grab the edge of the pit.  
  
London Bridge is falling down, falling down . . .  
  
Shut. Up. Kitchel.  
  
Thatz snickered. It wasn't often that his lover got in situations like this, but when he did, it was generally hilarious. Which was why he enjoyed it to the fullest when he did.  
  
Of course, he never got any when his lover was in one of those moods, so . . . You know, the better the defenses, the harder the opponent . . .  
  
You think so?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Eventually, they decided to use the dragons, but Terra was sleepy and Honou couldn't carry three people at once, since it would mess up the aerodynamics. Therefore, they decided to camp out till morning. This led to even more arguing, especially when Thatz decided that the easiest way to entertain himself was with his lover. Kitchel ended it by nocking him out, saying she needed her beauty sleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Why couldn't her meal just hurry up?! She was hungry, damnit!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
False hopes . . .  
  
Was that all the world contained? False hopes and broken dreams?  
  
Perhaps he should succumb to his fate of eternal rest, of dieing memories . . .  
  
To sleep, perchance to dream . . .  
  
Such a hopeless life he led . . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sorry it took so long. I kept adding this and that.  
  
Enjoy.


	7. Tempest

Bright, gleaming eyes focused on the path that lay ahead. She was there . . . She had to be! He had been searching . . . always looking. He could barely remember anything else. Only that her eyes were deeper than the oceans and her movements were as graceful as the rivers. And her fury greater than the tempest.  
  
He glanced beside him; Terra would be angry. Terra had become his mate, and would be jealous. Her fury was that of the earth. Hard to awaken, always taking time, and as unstoppable as an earthquake.  
  
That didn't matter. She could wash away the ground and bury it under the waves, if Terra objected. She was the oldest of the three, and the strongest when her mercurial moods wished. As long as she took him back . . . it wouldn't matter if the darkest demon attacked. As long as she was there . . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Honou, wake up! Rath was jumping up and down in excitement, anticipating the clash of steel and demon claws, the scent of burning flesh. Or fur, or scales, or slime, or whatever else the demon was made of. He was smiling, eyes glittering and gleaming as much as his dragons eyes.   
  
Thatz groaned, turning over and mumbling into the ground, T's'oo early . . .  
  
Wake up! We need to get moving! Kitchel gave Rath the Look; the one that every female knows, that tells males that they are dumb, stupid, moronic beings, doomed to be crushed under the high heels of the female race. Rath had two reasons to completely ignore this look. One, he would be completely happy with females in charge of society, provided that they allowed him to hunt demons, and two, he had no idea what a high heel was, and therefor found no reason to object to being crushed beneath one.  
  
Kitchel, on the other hand, was quite prepared to give him a reason to fear her glare . . .  
  
CRASH!  
  
Specifically, by throwing large rocks and bits of stalagmites at him. After all, throwing large objects was a tried and true method that worked on most species of the more masculine variety. Unfortunately, Rath happened to be one of those stubborn specimens that evaded harm from such methods rather easily; in this case, he simply bent down in order to grab his sword from where he had put it beside his pillow. Because the projectiles had a distinctly horizontal projection, they passed over him to hit the object that was behind him. This object happened to be a rather sleepy Thatz, who was to tired to realize that he was in immediate danger to react in time.   
  
Thatz, say hello to Mr. Projectile. Mr. Projectile, the object you have just hit is named Thatz. Please say hello to him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kharl! Kharl, you idiotic excuse for a scientist, where are you?! Garfacky's call rang out through the large castle, an affect that Garfacky had long ago learned how to produce in order to find and notify Kharl of his displeasure.  
  
His earlier methods of doing this were just as effective, but usually had the unfortunate side effect of destroying what ever experiment Kharl was currently working on, and getting royally reamed for destroying one of the more important ones was more than enough for him to break that habit. (Kharl was also nice enough to remove the tail after he had apologized profusely.)  
  
Long, lightly tangled blond hair accompanied a delicately boned face with unusually large eyes in poking out of the hidden niche in the stone wall. Kharl was not interested in accommodating another of Garfacky's wildly violent moods, and was therefor hiding both himself and his experiment. Shrugging, he returned to the hidden room as Garfacky ran out of the corrider and turned into another one leading to the tertiary lab, which was filled with long, detailed notes on nearly all the expiraments. There was only one exception; called simply Project H-D'. It was an unusually long project, with two hundred years worth of notes. These notes, being of far greater importance than most of his other projects, was kept well out of Garfacky's reach, in order to prevent him from accidentally moving the files around.  
  
And there were, of course, other reasons. There always were.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Damn. It's been way to long since I updated any of these stories. So, I'm going to go on a writing streak for the rest of Spring Break. Thanks to all you nice people who decided to review and inspire me to get my butt in gear.  
  
Au revoir!  
  
Quicksilver 5


	8. Memories, Part One

  
  
Didn't do too much writing over spring break, did I? Oh, well. C'est la vie.  
  
Soft green grass supported two forms; both were of average height, with lean muscles covering their frames. One wore long, baggy silk pants, with a light blue scarf acting as a belt, and a long sleeved cotton shirt topped by an embroidered vest. The other had simple cotton pants, a royal blue shirt with an embroidered collar, and long gold hair tied back with a soft blue ribbon. A pair of swords lay in black sheathes a few meters to the side, along with a discarded breastplate and two pairs of well made leather boots.  
  
The two people were lightly curled around each other, legs and arms comfortably entangled. One was finger combing the other's soft blond hair, gradually removing the tie so that it fell gracefully along the other's blue shirt, like a golden waterfall. Meanwhile, the latter was suggestively tugging at the former's belt, nimble fingers gliding across the exposed skin.  
  
XXXXXXXXXX  
  
The bed contained only one occupant, a sick, feverish blond dressed only in a pair of loose cotton pants. The creamy sheets and wool blankets had been tossed to the side in favor of the cool breeze that flowed through the open windows. In a high backed chair beside the bed, a dark haired figure dozed, exhausted. The figures hand was outstretched, lightly holding the other's hand.  
  
Oblivious, the moon cast a soft light on the sleeping duo, uncaring as to their fate.  
  
XXXXXXXXXX  
  
The blond was twitching in excitement. To his left lay a tray, containing a pair of bananas, a bowl of strawberries, and a pitcher of cream. To his right lay a certain brunet, blissfully asleep, and covered by only a thin cotton sheet. The sheet did little to hide the brunet's musculature, showing off a flat stomach and lean, hardened legs.  
  
The blond glanced at the tray, noting the bananas, prominently displayed at the fore, and the thin trickle of cream that had slid down the sides of the clay pitcher. Twitching, the blond went back to staring at the sleeping brunet.  
  
The brunet, meanwhile, had shifted slightly in the grasp of sleep, and the sheet had slipped farther down his form, to cling to his hips. Due to a slight crease of the sheets, a certain part of the brunet was very nearly revealed. Blushing, the blond looked over at the tray. Again noting the bananas, the blond blushed a slightly deeper shade of red, and redirected blue eyes to the window located behind him.  
  
XXXXXXXXXX  
  
The rain pounded down on the castle, creating a steady beat. Two figures were resting on the high up roofs, allowing the rain to run over their forms in streams of clean water. A pair of well made shirts were discarded by the crenelated edge, hooked on a piece of stone in order to keep them from washing down the walls like the water.  
  
The lovers watched the rain fall.  
  
XXXXXXXXXX  
  
The two lovers worked side by side on their matched battle mares. Both the mares were a dark, mottled grey in color, and neither would win any place in a beauty contest. They were, however, perfectly proportional, with strong forelegs, long necks, soft, triangular ears, strong, muscular back legs, and long, silky tails and manes. They had wide, flaring nostrils, well adapted to catching the faintest trace of a scent, large, dark brown eyes, and the typically long lashes that can only be found on a horse. They were currently shedding horrendously, tufts of fur flying every which way, landing on the horses, the lovers, the floor, the windows, the hoof-picks, the brushes, the curry-combs, and the horses supply of hay. It was Spring, and such was life in or near the stables as shedding season went on full force.  
  
The pair of humans ignored the fur, renewing their efforts to fully groom the horses in complete vain without a care in the world. There were no reasons to worry, no meetings to attend to, no demons to attack. There was simply the task of brushing off the two horses until they could be passed off as reasonably presentable.  
  
The horses merely enjoyed their combined efforts with cat-like twists and turns, rubbing their long, triangular heads against the two humans with enough force to knock them over.  
  
XXXXXXXXXX  
  
The two horses cantered side by side, their riders enjoying the wind as it whipped past their ears. It was a casual ride, with no true destination in mind. Only the rolling hills and clear blue sky, so like the blond's eyes, met the eye as the mares raced on. The lovers were miles away from the nearest road, and there were no trails that could be followed across the feilds. They simply made their own tracks over the lush grass, horse hooves pounding into the dirt.  
  
A small forest came into view. It had been hidden behind an unusually large hill, and the light green leaves blended in easily with the grasses. The two mares stopped on top of a hill facing the glen, calmly swishing their tails.  
  
On an unspoken signal, both riders spurred their horses down the hill in a hard, fast race to the woods.  
  
XXXXXXXXXX  
  
The summer winds whipped past the tree tops, whistleing merrily. Long, dark green vines adorned the trunks of the tall oaks, weighing down the thick branches. A small camp was set up near the edge of a clearing that held an ancient temple. The colorful motifs at the sides of the walls were starting to fade, and a few of the ancient columns were just begining to crumble.  
  
Directly in front of the temple was a marble statue of a horned man with long, elven ears and slanted eyes. Intricate swirls and knots adorned his bare chest, and seemed to dip below the figures pants. The brunette was leaning casually against the base, watching the blond putter about the miniature camp.  
  
A small pot of water had been left to boil on an equally small fire, and herbs had been collected and arranged next to the fire on a flat stone. The two horses had been tied to a nearby sapling, with more than enough room to graze. Meanwhile, the blond had grabbed their sleeping bag from the saddle bags, which had been set down on a low-hanging limb.  
  
The brunette sighed regretfully.  
  
XXXXXXXXXX  
  
I'm quite sure I'm going to have quite a few people going, "What the hell?!" Therefor, I am going to give you all a brief explanation. What this is is a series of memories, and it will be followed by a few more not-so-happy memories.  
  
For those of you who haven't realized it, yes, one of the two people is the one trapped for all eternity and all that.  
  
Meanwhile, what do people think of the vignettes? I wanted to convey a sense of love without any sappy, cliched words involved, so neither party spoke a single word. It was inspired by how some manga, like Revolutionary Girl Utena, show the past without letting you see the faces. It seemed like something interesting to try. Please, tell me how it worked!  
  
I'm really sorry about the earlier format! Did I fix it yet? 


End file.
